1 Timothy

Friday, 24 November 2017

For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, 1 Timothy 2:5

Wow! So much for prayers to Mary or the saints. So much for a separate and elevated priestly class within the church! So much for a pope exalted upon his stool! Such notions not only rob Christ of His authority and position, they are idolatry – granting to the created that which belongs to the Creator alone.

Paul begins with “For.” The words to come are based upon that which has been written. He just said that God “desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” This is what the “for” is alluding to. Because this applies to all men, and because God desires their salvation, a way has been opened for this to occur, but it is an extremely limited way – a narrow path. It is through the giving of His Son. To set the stage for this, he says, “For there is one God.” This truth eliminates all religions on earth except those which are monotheistic. But he is not finished. This is the first necessary qualifier.

Any religion which does not accept the premise of there being one God is noted as false. Further, as there is one God, then “all men” of the earlier verse are accountable to this one God. Understanding this, Paul then further refines the matter by saying, “and one Mediator between God and men.” That there is a God is established, but that mediation between God and men is also necessary is now established as well. We cannot go directly to God, but we must go through a mediator. But more to the point, we must go through one Mediator. Paul has limited the truth of who God is to one narrow path. Any path which is followed apart from this one path is a false path, and thus it is a false religion which is incapable of finding peace and harmony with God. And next, Paul clearly and completely defines which path that is by saying that the one Mediator between God and man is “the Man Christ Jesus.”

As closed, limiting, politically incorrect, and intolerant as it might seem, this is what Paul shows us defines true religion – the Christian faith. But even some who claim the title are excluded. Refer to those (and those like them) who attempt to go to God through other “mediators” in the first paragraph. They have no Mediator, and they are excluded from His mediation. They have cut themselves off from God by refusing God’s appointed Mediator. A church cannot save, and the mediators chosen by a church are incapable of filling the role assigned by the church. Mediation comes solely through Jesus Christ who Paul highlights as “the Man.”

This is the only time Paul uses this phrase, but he chooses this point in his letters to do so for a reason. He is highlighting the humanity of Christ in order to refute the doctrine of Docetism which was already creeping into the church. This teaches that Christ’s body was not human, but rather it was some type of phantasm. Or, if real substance, that His sufferings were not actual but only apparent. Paul will refute this in the coming verse, but his highlighting of Christ’s manhood is a theological necessity. God is infinite, we are finite. Because of our sin, without a human Mediator, we are infinitely fallen. Christ Jesus came into the world to live perfectly and then offer that perfect life for those He came to save. Without the stain of sin, He could pay our sin debt, and then He could become our acceptable Mediator between God and men.

In His divine nature, He can mediate to His infinite Father, and in His human nature, He can do so for finite beings. The Bridge is restored; the path is made; restoration with God is possible. Believers can intercede only by means petition, praise, and giving thanks as an expression of good will towards others, but Christ Jesus intercedes for others because He has merited what He asks for on our behalf. The difference is infinite in scope and in acceptability. The author of Hebrews explains both scope and acceptability in one verse –

“And for this reason He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance.” Hebrews 9:15

The scope is “the eternal inheritance,” and the acceptability is “by means of death.” Jesus Christ is both capable and qualified to mediate for those who are His.

Life application: For mediation between yourself and God, you need Jesus. If you are reading this today, and believe that God hears your prayers apart from Jesus Christ, you are mistaken. But even Christ cannot mediate for you unless you come to Him by faith. The Bible gives the gospel message by saying, “that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3, 4). It then tells how to appropriate that by saying, “that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” Until you, by faith, receive Jesus Christ – meaning His work on your behalf – you stand condemned before God, having no Mediator. Call on Christ today, and be reconciled, completely and eternally, to the God who loves you enough to make this one, narrow, path available.

Lord God, Your word tells us that there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus. If that is so, then it is very limiting indeed. It means that no other religious expression is acceptable to restore us to You. Hear our prayer for those who are not yet included in this offer of peace – that their eyes would be opened, that their hearts would be softened, and that their souls would be saved – through the shed blood, death, burial, and resurrection of Christ Jesus the Lord. May it be so. Amen.

Thursday, 23 November 2017

…who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 1 Timothy 2:4

Paul’s words of this verse continue to be based on what he said in verse 1. There he exhorted Timothy to pray “for all men.” It is this which is on his mind. The fact that prayers are to be made immediately excludes the doctrine of universal salvation. Some will use this verse, torn out of its full context, and state that if “God our Savior” of verse 3 “desires all men to be saved,” and if nothing can thwart His will, then all must be saved. That is an abuse of the immediate context, and it completely denies numerous passages in Scripture which clearly refute such a false claim.

There is a difference between God actually saving all men and Him potentially saving all men. God’s desire is that all be saved, but His nature demands that all must be saved in a certain way. Even God cannot violate one of His own intrinsic traits. God is merciful, but He cannot violate His righteousness in order to grant mercy, or He would then be unrighteous. The plan of redemption includes (in fact it necessitates) the free will of man. The fact that God sent His Son into the world to die as a payment for man’s sin shows that He desires that all be saved. However, if man does not accept the payment, he remains unsaved. Therefore, Jesus died potentially for all, but He actually only died for those who receive the offer of His atoning death.

Jesus’ work is fully sufficient to pay for every sin ever committed, but not every sin will be paid for because the payment is not received. Thus the doctrine of “universal salvation” is false. On the other side of the same coin, the doctrine of “regeneration in order to believe,” which is taught by Calvinism, is also false. It excludes free-will as well, but instead of claiming that all are saved, it instead claims that only those God predestines, and then regenerates in order to believe, will be saved – the doctrine of “limited atonement.”

In this, the claim is that God regenerates a person in order that they may believe, they then believe, and they are then saved. In other words, they are saved before they are saved. There are several logical arguments against this, chief among them is that the Bible never teaches this. It is convoluted and denies the unlimited scope of God’s atoning sacrifice of Christ Jesus – something implied in Paul’s words here, and in Peter’s words of 2 Peter 3:9 (and elsewhere). Again, one must look at what is potential and what is actual. Christ’s death can potentially save all; it does not actually save all.

The salvation of man is then tied up in Paul’s final words of the verse, “and come to the knowledge of the truth.” In order to be saved, one must “come to the knowledge” which will allow this to happen. Like praying for “all men,” it is the responsibility of believers to share the gospel to all men as well. Paul’s implication is that one cannot be saved unless they come to the knowledge of how to be saved. This statement dispels both universalism (all are saved) and Calvinism (God regenerates a person in order to believe/limited atonement). Logically, without the knowledge of the truth, salvation will not occur, and logically if God actively does something to change the heart of man before he receives God’s offer, then there is actually no need to evangelize anyone. Instead, He would simply instill in the one He has chosen this knowledge and be done with it. But even Paul said that he could have resisted the truth. In Acts 26:19, he stated that he was “not disobedient to the heavenly vision” that was given to him. This implies that he could have rejected it. He was not regenerated in order to believe, and neither is anyone else. It is a false doctrine.

Albert Barnes gives three points on this matter – 1) That salvation is provided for all; 2) That salvation should be offered to all people; 3) That people are to blame if they are not saved. Score 1 for right thinking. Albert Barnes is correct.

Life application: It is too bad that people feel the need to rip verses out of their intended context in order to justify bad doctrine. Even when shown to be wrong, they will allow pride to step in and override what is painfully obvious. May we never presume to do this. Instead, let us search the Scriptures with a desire to teach what God has submitted in this magnificent book of clear doctrine and right thinking. Let us teach in accord with the offer of salvation to all who will but come.

Lord God, it is more than glorious that You have offered Jesus as an atoning sacrifice for the sins of man. And it is more than incredible that You have allowed us the choice of accepting or rejecting this offer. In the end, You are shown gracious and merciful, and yet You are shown holy and righteous. If we fail to accept Your offer, we only have ourselves to blame. It is a magnificent display of love and wisdom, and one which displays Your infinite glory. Great are You, O God, and greatly are You to be praised. Amen.

Wednesday, 22 November 2017

For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, 1 Timothy 2:3

“For this is good and acceptable,” ties the verse to what was just stated –

“Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, ² for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.”

It is “good and acceptable” to pray as stated, including “for all men.” This included “kings and all who are in authority.” What is apparent from these words of Paul is that God desires that all would be saved, and that our prayers are a part of that process. Otherwise, Paul could not write these things. In fact, he would simply say, “Don’t bother with prayer. God has sovereignly chosen those who will be saved, and has predetermined all that will occur. Your prayers are a waste of time.” This is never hinted at in the Bible. Instead, we are given the high honor of praying for others, and for receiving what God offers. That is great stuff. And the reason why it is great stuff is because it isn’t just good and acceptable in a general sense, but that it is “good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior.”

God is well pleased when we pray for others in the ways he described. And it is good and acceptable that these are given “for all men” including “for kings and all who are in authority.” God looks at our prayers in these situations and finds them acceptable because we are not just praying for ourselves and our own needs, but we are praying for others, even some who may not currently be favorably disposed towards us. This is a truly noble thing.

Life application: Let us do our best to follow through with the words of this verse, even if those appointed over us are really crummy people. They too need Jesus, and so we should do our utmost to pray for them in hopes that they will come to God through Christ and be saved.

Lord God, today we lift up those who are appointed over us at all levels of life. We have bosses, mayors, governors, congressmen, and presidents, kings, or prime ministers that we are accountable to. Hear our prayers for them, guide them to right decisions which will honor You, and if they don’t yet know Christ Jesus, we pray for them to come humbly to the throne of grace for salvation. Wouldn’t that be great to have faithful believers making godly decisions in this world. Yes, we pray for our leaders today. Amen.

Tuesday, 21 November 2017

…for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. 1 Timothy 2:2

Paul now especially identifies those who are to be included in “supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks.” In the previous verse, he said, “for all men.” It is an all-inclusive statement, but now he continues by making special note. It is “for kings and all who are in authority.” Paul understood that in praying for those in authority, he was praying for those who would be able to protect and bring peace to those under them.

This doesn’t mean that prayers for salvation for such people were more important than for those who were commoners. Rather, high positions could affect commoners, whether they were held by believers or not. In praying for them, there would be a natural, positive result if the prayers were responded to. That is then stated in his words, “that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life.”

It is certainly preferable that those in high positions be saved believers, but whether they are or not, if they are favorably disposed towards believers, then it would naturally follow that a quiet and peaceable life was possible. And if this was available, then it would be a life lived “in all godliness and reverence.” The older KJV uses the term “honesty.” What that meant in 1611 is completely different than what it means today. Reading such an outdated version leaves a wholly wrong impression of what is intended.

The word semnotés gives the sense of gravity and dignity, not in honesty or fair dealings. It refers to that which is august. It beckons for reverence from others, and it is intended to exalt what is noble and morally refined. Achieving “godliness and reverence” is the anticipated benefit of leading a quiet and peaceful life. This then is the purpose of praying for “kings and all who are in authority.”

Life application: Better to read multiple translations of the Bible, looking for differences which will then highlight where inaccuracy lies. From there, one can go to the original and determine which is correct. When captivated by a single version, a complete misunderstanding of what is being said is the expected result. Don’t allow this narrow mindset to affect your study of Scripture.

Lord God, it is so wonderful to live in an age where we have multiple versions of the Bible which allows us to find the mistakes which riddle older versions. By seeing the differences between the two, we can then go to the original and determine which is correct and which is wrong. Words change, languages evolve, and we must return to the fountain from time to time to update what is passe. Thank You for how easy this has become in our lifetime. We are blessed with such access! Your word stands, and we can appreciate it in our modern tongue! Thank You. Amen.

Monday, 20 November 2017

Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, 1 Timothy 2:1

The word “exhort” falls short of a command. For Paul, it is an urging of a matter in order to ensure that what is spoken will lead to happiness and a positive outcome. With this in mind, his exhortation is concerning the communication of Timothy, and indeed all appointed ministers, with God. It certainly includes those of all people who are in Christ, but Paul’s words are more directed to the pastoral conduct of the church. That this is speaking of communication with God is seen in the words, “all supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks.” Each of these is a type of communication between an individual and God.

Note that the actual meaning of the words in Greek are rather difficult to pin down, and translators have done their best to give the sense of what they believe each word is speaking of. Understanding this, the meaning of the English is explained, trusting the translators efforts here.

Supplications are types of prayers for petition. It is requesting the filling of a want or need that is on the heart of the individual. “Look upon me, O God, and be merciful to me. My sin is great, and I desire your hand of forgiveness.”

Prayers are general utterances for whatever is hoped for, desired, needed, and etc. And actually, most communication with God is a type of prayer. If we are speaking to him as our Creator in a respectful way, it is prayer because it is transcending the sphere in which we live, rising to Him.

Intercessions are petitions made on behalf of others. We can plead for their needs, hopes, health, desires, and so on. This is not a mediatorial role, which alone is filled by Christ, but it should be an active and vibrant part of the true prayer person’s life – looking out for the needs of others, and bringing them before God.

Paul then adds in, “and giving of thanks.” God gives, and so we would be truly remiss in not thanking Him for all good things that we have. We can thank Him for restored health, a pretty flower, a new job, or any and every other good thing that comes our way.

He then concludes with, “for all men.” In these words is a complete and total refutation of the Calvinist view on election and predestination. Calvinism teaches that “limited atonement” is seen in the cross of Christ. In essence, He died for the elect, and He simply passes over those who are not a part of His plan. How can it be said by Paul that we are to pray “for all men” if the scope of God’s atonement is limited? Salvation is the number one issue for all men. What is the point of praying for those who would be passed over? Of course, a Calvinist would say, “Well, I don’t know which person is elect.” Then why pray for anyone? If God’s decision to elect cannot be thwarted, then why bother praying for anything at all. Again, salvation is the highest need of all. Everything else is secondary to that. Accepting the doctrine of limited atonement is like starting a factory to build football bats. It is pointless, and it is a waste of time.

Life application: Paul tells Timothy to pray. If prayer were not effective, then there would be no point to do so. Due to the heavy stress of Paul in all of his letters concerning prayer, we should be pay heed, and make prayer a constant and vibrant part of our walk with the Lord.

Glorious heavenly Father, how good it is to know that You hear all prayers of those in Christ, and that You will respond to them according to Your infinite wisdom. Surely we pray for things we should not have. You know those things and keep them from us. We pray for needs, and You respond according to those needs. We pray for others, and You are pleased to hear and respond as is right. And so, we send our prayers to You, and we trust that they will be handled in the most perfect way. Thank You for hearing our prayers. Amen.